A Brief Memorial

  Bookworm placed Avariel’s non-functioning head on one of the pedestals in the hallway as reverently as she could beside the feline heads.  She and the others had a prolonged moment of silence out of respect for Arnold and Avariel.  

  Beryl could not join them in their ceremony as he had completely forgotten that the other heads were in that hallway.  He had retreated from their harsh gazes and hisses back to the stairs quietly, though his departure had not been unnoticed.

  He went to the room below filled with the pillars and the portal in the ceiling which had shut down.  Beryl waited alone until Bookworm came downstairs first.  She was alone and seemingly in a hurry.  “Thank you for coming to our rescue.”  Bookworm smiled in a friendly way, which, with her shining white outfit, contrasted with everything in this dreary reality.

 “If you hadn’t come they were planning to…’upgrade’ us all.”

  Beryl looked at the heroine more closely than before. Her eyes had bags and dark spots under them, as if from malnutrition, and her face was less full than usual.  “He must have had you captive for at least a month. Why had he not done it already?”

  Bookworm shrugged and studied Beryl inquisitively, “Johnson said that Progress would hold on to us until both parts of each of us were brought here.  Do you know what he might have meant by that?”

  Beryl did, but he he did not like the thought that Progress had been intending to take the Book and Rance from his realm here, as he had presumably managed with Beatrixe and who knew how many others.  Bookworm went to call for help and to rouse the Militia.  She did not want PJ and the Dobermans to get away with their part in this destruction.  

  Beryl waited until Rance came downstairs to approach him. How the man managed to still smell of fresh straw he would never understand, “You needn’t worry, old friend.  I will speak with the doctors and Mister Canergak and explain this situation…somehow.”  He moved to clean spectacles that were not there and stopped, unsure what to do with his hands now.  “I believe that with the Lieutenant’s help I can convince everyone that you were the victim of foul play and lies from Mr. Sanderson and Johnson.”

  Beryl nodded, but before the stringy man left he asked, “Why do you call me ‘old friend’?”

  “I do?”  Rance stopped as if surprised and looked back at him with his head tilted,  “I didn’t even notice.  I guess you simply remind me of an old friend I had once.”

  Beryl had been hoping for a better answer than that, but that seemed to be all the answer that he would get as the Professor departed.

  Erica, Tepic, and Beatrixe were the last out.  There had been no way to get the bed down here, but Beatrixe was riding on Erica’s now strained back.  The only one that would not come down was Avariel.

  Beryl’s tail stopped its constant swish for a moment as he thought about his destroyed friend.  It was true that Avariel’s unicorn form ‘might’ be around here somewhere, but that too could have been destroyed by Progress before.  

  Thinking of Avariel’s loss reminded Beryl of the buildings he had felt collapse, buildings that had joined the dead in the Mausoleum that Margo December had led him towards. Beryl had little doubt that the buildings that had died here would soon be destroyed or disassembled in his own New Babbage as well.

  Beryl joined the trio and his elation at the defeat of Progress only soured more as he saw that Tepic was still chained and sick despite everything.  He hated to see Tepic like this, but he knew he was impotent to do anything, and he turned to Erica hopefully, “Did you bring Tepic’s hat?”

  Erica checked in her pockets out of habit, a difficult thing to do as she held up Beatrixe, and then shook her head, “No, it’s back in my basement somewhere.  I can give it to Tepic when I get her there.”

  Tepic nodded weakly, “Me shift’s ended.  Gonna play me flute fir Bea a bit before I go check me traps.”

  Beryl could have wished for more, but something told him that Beatrixe’s time here was growing short.  Erica thanked him profusely, and commiserated Arnold’s passing for a time.

 Just as they were getting ready to leave she told Beryl, “Progress wanted Beatrixe to upgrade willingly, like you, but she refused.  That was when it hooked her up saying she would serve as-as its tool.”  Erica finished weakly, and had to readjust Beatrixe again, obviously wishing that she had a wheelbarrow.

  “I’d help you carry her, but there’s one last person I’m expecting to meet.”  

  Erica almost dropped Beatrixe in her surprise, but soon made her apologies and began the journey home. Tepic played his flute the entire way out and beyond to help her journey.   He was alone now, but he did not have to wait for long.  Soft padded feet stumbled and limped on the floor until Zaros and Kea came into the room.  They were smiling happily, proud of him.  Behind them was the short woman, shorter than Canergak, who had saved Beryl’s life.

  She approached him alone, leaving the cabbits behind and asked him if he knew who she was.  He nodded, “It took me awhile, because you are not what I expected.”  

  “What were you expecting?”

  “Honestly, I expected you to look like that demonic form that Avariel described in the tunnels.  A mad beast in a metal straight jacket covered in chains as thick as two men.” Beryl thought about what happened to Avariel for a moment sadly before he continued, “I expected a nightmare factory like the Dunsany is said to be, not a tiny woman who organized a rescue and saved my life, Murgam.”